Heritage restaurants hanging on to tradition

Moi Lum, which has been around since the 1920s, is now run by thirdgeneration owner Chris Kuang, whose dad Kwang Mang Tuck still cooks in the kitchen every day. -- PHOTOS: ASHLEIGH SIM, DIOS VINCOY JR FOR THE SUNDAY TIMES

Lai Wah Restaurant, where yusheng was introduced, is now run by Mr Wong Kah Onn and his wife Helen Lim (both above). -- PHOTOS: ASHLEIGH SIM, DIOS VINCOY JR FOR THE SUNDAY TIMES

At 84-year-old Spring Court, owner Soon Puay Keow, who runs it with her son Mike Ho (both above), calls herself the signature of the eatery. -- PHOTOS: ASHLEIGH SIM, DIOS VINCOY JR FOR THE SUNDAY TIMES

Moi Lum, which has been around since the 1920s, is now run by thirdgeneration owner Chris Kuang, whose dad Kwang Mang Tuck still cooks in the kitchen every day. -- PHOTOS: ASHLEIGH SIM, DIOS VINCOY JR FOR THE SUNDAY TIMES

At 84-year-old Spring Court, owner Soon Puay Keow, who runs it with her son Mike Ho (both above), calls herself the signature of the eatery. -- PHOTOS: ASHLEIGH SIM, DIOS VINCOY JR FOR THE SUNDAY TIMES

By Eunice Quek

The announcement that 58-year-old Teochew restaurant Mong Hing would be closing next month rippled through the the heritage restaurants that are 50 years or older.

Some of these restaurants, many of them family-run, face the same problems that plagued Mong Hing, which started as a hawker stall in the now- defunct Ellenborough Market. Ageing cooks and serving staff, high rentals and children who do not want to take over the business are some of the challenges.

Yet, not all the eateries are wringing their hands and waiting for the inevitable. Some are holding their own amid a sea of chic cafes and stylish small-plate restaurants that keep popping up in Singapore.

There are no fewer than eight Chinese heritage restaurants across the various dialect groups in Singapore that have been around for at least 50 years.